A surcharged stamp published under the name of Azerbaijan
People's Government

The Azerbaijan People's Government
(APG; Azerbaijani: Az…ôrbaycan Demokratik Firq…ôsi, Russian:
–ź–∑–Ķ—Ä–Ī–į–Ļ–ī–∂–į–Ĺ—Ā–ļ–ĺ–Ķ –Ĺ–į—Ä–ĺ–ī–Ĺ–ĺ–Ķ
–Ņ—Ä–į–≤–ł—ā–Ķ–Ľ—Ć—Ā—ā–≤–ĺ) was a short-lived, Soviet-backed client state (November 1945 - November
1946) in northern Iran.
Established in Iranian
Azerbaijan, the APG's capital was the city of Tabriz. Its establishment and demise were a part
of the Iran crisis, which was a precursor
to the Cold War.

With the dethronement of Reza Shah in September 1941, Soviet
troops captured Tabriz and
northwestern Persia for military and strategic reasons. Azerbaijan
People's Government, a puppet government set up by the Soviets,
under leadership of Jafar Pishevari was
proclaimed in Tabriz. The party, which was created by the direct
order of Stalin, capitalized on some local people's
dissatisfaction with centralization policies of Reza Shah. With
northern Iran under Soviet occupation, Stalin made plans to "spread
Socialism" by creating separatist puppet states. The KurdishRepublic of
Mahabad was one such state and the Soviets decided to create a
separatist state for northern Iran's Azeri population as well.
During this time, a revival of the Azerbaijani literary language,
which had largely been supplanted by Persian, was promoted with the help of
writers, journalists, and teachers from Azerbaijan SSR. In the
quest of imposing national homogeneity on the country where half of
the population consisted of ethnic minorities, Reza Shah had
previously issued in quick succession bans on the use of
Azerbaijani language on the premises of schools, in theatrical
performances, religious ceremonies, and, finally, in the
publication of books.[2]. These
directives were issued despite the fact that Reza Shah's mother
Noosh Afarin and his wife Taj-Al-Molook Ayrimlu were both of
Azerbaijani descent.

At the same time, the US was steadily increasing its military
assistance to the government. Under pressure by the Western powers,
the Soviet Union reneged its support of the newly-created state and
the Iranian military succeeded in re-establishing Iranian rule in
November 1946. According to Taduesz Swietochowski:

‚Äú

As it turned out, the
Soviets had to recognize that their ideas on Iran were premature.
The issue of Iranian Azerbaijan became one of the opening
skirmishes of the Cold War, and, largely under the Western powers'
pressure, Soviet forces withdrew in 1946. The autonomous republic
collapsed soon afterward, and the members of the Democratic Party
took refuge in the Soviet Union, fleeing Iranian revenge.. In
Tabriz, the crowds that had just recently applauded the autonomous
republic were now greeting the returning Iranian troops, and
Azerbaijani students publicly burned their native-language
textbooks. The mass of the population was obviously not ready even
for a regional self-government so long as it smacked of
separatism.[8]

‚ÄĚ

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Soviet
Support

New de-archived evidence of former top secret documents from the
Cold War implicates the
USSR in forming the government of Pishevari by the direct orders of
Stalin.[9] Soviet military supported
the new autonomous entity and prevented Iranian army from restoring
governmental control over the area. After Soviet withdrawal,
Iranian troops entered the region in December 1946 and Pishevari
and his cabinet fled to Soviet Union.[10][11]
According to Professor. Gary R. Hess:

‚Äú

On December 11, an
Iranian force entered Tabriz and the Peeshavari government quickly
collapsed. The Soviet willingness to forego its influence in
(Iranian) Azerbaijan probably resulted from several factors,
including the realization that the sentiment for autonomy had been
exaggerated and that oil concessions remained the more desirable
long-term Soviet Objective.[12]

‚ÄĚ

Dissolution

On June 13, 1946, an agreement was reached between the Central
Government [in Tehran] and the delegates from Azerbaijan, headed by
Pishevari,[13].
By that agreement, Pishevari agreed to abandon its autonomy, to
relinquish its ministries and premiership and to become once more
part of Iran. Its parliament was to be transformed into a
provincial council- a system recognized and provided for in the
Iranian Constitution.[13]

By mid-December 1946, the Iranian army reentered Tabriz, thus
putting an end to Azerbaijan People's Government after a full year
of its existence.[14]
During the lawless interregnum, approximately 500 supporters[15][16] of
the Ferqeh were killed

Many of the leaders took refuge in Azerbaijan SSR. Jafar
Pishevari, who was never fully trusted by Stalin, soon died in a
car accident under mysterious circumstances. Prime Minister Kordary
was jailed for many years by the Shah and later released due to the
tireless efforts of his brother Kazem.

^George
Lenczowski. "United States' Support for Iran's Independence and
Integrity, 1945-1959", Annals of the American Academy of
Political and Social Science, Vol. 401, America and the Middle
East. (May, 1972), p. 49

^
Swietchowski:‚ÄúAddressing the troops entering Azerbaijan, General
‚ÄėAli Razmara proclaimed that they were restoing the soul of Iran to
the nation, and henceforth the anniversary of the event would be
celebrated by a military parade. By all accounts the population‚Äôs
enthusiatic welcome of the Iranian army was genuine. Among the
elated throngs were many who barely a year ago had also
enthusiastically greeted the rise of the Pishevari government; the
change of heart was due not only to disenchantment with the
Democrats but also the uncontrollable violence being meted out at
the sympathizers of the faller regime. Rossow conservatively
estimated 500 killed during the lawless interregnum that preceded
the coming of the Iranian troops. Hundreds of others were tried and
jailed, and scores were hanged. ‚ÄĚ( Tadeusz Swietochowski, Russia
and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition. New York: Columbia.
University Press, 1995. pg 154)

^
A British source cited by the US Embassy in Tehran gives the number
of killed Democrats as 421. The American Embass‚Äôs report has been
classified under wash. Nat. Arch. 891.00/1-1547, 15 January 1947‚ÄĚ(
Touraj Atabaki, Azerbaijan: Ethnicity and the Struggle for Power in
Iran, [Revised Edition of Azerbaijan, Ethnicity and Autonomy in the
Twentieth-Century Iran] (London: I.B.Tauris, 2000. pg 227).

Documents

An official document with cover letter of Azerbaijan
People's Government

An application for an ID card in the Azerbaijani language from
the Azerbaijan People's Government.